The Girl
by Saturn Shumba
Summary: Arnold had a good feeling about Hillwood. He'd meet the girl here. Maybe it'd even be like one of those John Hughes movies Mom loved.  AU.
1. Spring

**Author's Note:** _Hey Arnold on Netflix Instant has sent me plunging back into my love for this show. It just gets better with age, too. Anyway, I've seen a lot of stories floating around the HA Fandom that do a kind of 'What if Arnold grew up in San Lorenzo?' type of story; this is my little addition to that niche._

* * *

><p>Arnold woke up when he heard his Dad trip down the stairs.<p>

"Ow ow ow ow OW! Damnit! I hate these stairs!"

Arnold heard his grandpa chuckle. "Well son, the stairs obviously _love_ you; you haven't stopped falling down them since you've been back!"

"You know what, Dad? You're a real..." Dad's voice trailed off, as well as Grandpa's. They must've been walking towards the kitchen.

Arnold rolled onto his back and kicked off his blankets, staring up at the blue sky through his room's skylight. It was beautiful outside. That was always a good sign. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad. Maybe today would reflect that perfect blue sky.

Arnold smiled and got up. He needed to take a shower. He rubbed his face thoughtfully. And probably shave.

* * *

><p>"Ouch! Not so rough, Stella!"<p>

Arnold walked into the kitchen and sat across from his Mom. She gave him a small smile before turning back to her task at hand: stitching a gash on Dad's palm.

Arnold opened his mouth to tease Dad for being a klutz when his Grandma dropped a plate of pancakes in front of him. "Eat up, Tex. You're gonna need it for today." She walked back towards the stove.

"Last stitch...okay, you're done." Mom put down the needle and reached into her First Aid kit, taking out a roll of gauze. She gently began to wrap it around Dad's hand. "She's right, Arnold. Eat up. Big day, today." She gave him a worried look. "Are you sure you want to do this? You can wait until next year, you know."

Arnold shrugged, and dug into his pancakes. "Why wait? I'll be going eventually. I don't want to put it off."

Mom frowned. "But-"

Dad interrupted her. "Ah, Stella, don't worry. Arnold braved the jungle for sixteen years. I think he can handle high school."

"Yep," Grandpa said, walking up behind Arnold and clapping him on the back. Arnold choked on his pancakes a bit. "That's right! Plus, I'm sure that he wants to impress some girls with some of his jungle stories." He winked, and Arnold looked down at his plate, blushing. He _did_ want to meet some girls. Actually, he wanted to meet _the_ girl, the way Dad met _the _girl. Arnold had never had a girlfriend. He'd only kissed one girl, Lucia, when he was thirteen and that was only to make her boyfriend jealous.

But Arnold had a good feeling about Hillwood. He'd meet the girl here. Maybe it'd even be like one of those John Hughes movies Mom loved.

After all, this was America.

* * *

><p>"Alright class, settle down!"<p>

Arnold stood awkwardly at the front of the classroom while his 1st period English teacher, Mr. Simmons, tried to get the class's attention. He glanced around the room; most of his classmates were talking to each other, totally ignoring Mr. Simmons. One blonde girl in the back was reading a book, ignoring everyone. Arnold's eyes fell on a redheaded girl sitting in front. She gave him a supportive smile and he smiled back. She was pretty cute.

Finally, an Asian girl with glasses who was sitting next to the redhead firmly rapped her knuckles against her desk three times. Everyone immediately shut up and faced the front. Suddenly, all eyes were on Arnold. He fidgeted nervously under their gaze. He noticed the blonde girl in the back was still reading. The Asian girl cleared her throat. The blonde sighed and rolled her eyes, but she closed her book and faced the front.

"Thank you, Phoebe," Mr. Simmons said gratefully. The Asian girl - Phoebe - smiled and nodded.

"Okay class, welcome back! I hope you all had a very special Spring Break! Before we start, I want to introduce you to our new transfer student, Arnold...um...sorry, your last name is smudged out on this form..."

"It's Shortman," Arnold supplied.

"Thank you, Arnold. Anyway, Arnold just moved here from San Lorenzo, which is in South America! How special you are, Arnold! I hope you all give Arnold here a very special warm welcome."

The entire class was silent.

"Welcome to hell," the blonde girl deadpanned. Some boys sitting around her snickered.

Mr. Simmons narrowed his eyes. "Helga..."

Helga kicked out her feet in front of her. "Sorry." Arnold didn't think she sounded sorry at all.

"Okay, Arnold, why don't you go ahead and take a seat...it looks like the one across from Helga is open."

Somebody started humming the funeral march. Helga slammed a hand down on her desk and the humming immediately stopped.

Arnold slowly walked towards his desk and slid into his seat.

"Okay class, now open your books to page 142...oh, Arnold, you can share with Helga until I get you a textbook. Okay, page 142..."

Helga let out a dramatic sigh before turning and glaring at Arnold. He shifted uncomfortably under her stare.

"Well?" she said impatiently. Arnold leaned over, trying to look at her book. Helga rolled her eyes and reached out and grabbed the edge of his desk, yanking him closer to her. The legs of his desk made a high pitched screech when she pulled him over, but nobody seemed to notice (or care). She laid out the book between them.

Arnold read silently for a few minutes, before sneaking a glance at the girl next to him. This girl seemed pretty tough. She had dark eyebrows, which contrasted with her light blonde hair. A section of her bangs kept falling in front of her right eye; she'd brush it out of the way every once in a while. It all added to her tough persona.

Except for her dress. She was wearing a knee length, pink gingham dress. It looked almost 50's-esque. Arnold tilted his head. Now that he thought about it, the dress actually complimented her tough girl persona as well...

"What the fuck are you looking at?" Helga hissed. Arnold stiffened in his seat. Busted.

"Nice dress," he blurted out. Helga stared at him, her face a mixture of weirded out, confused, and touched. She opened her mouth to reply when the large guy with the backwards baseball hat sitting in front of her turned around.

"Ooooo, Helga! You said the f-word!" he whispered.

Helga's eyes narrowed at first...but then she took a deep breath and gave the guy a confused look. "What, 'fantastic'?" she questioned.

"No..."

"Fudgy bar?"

"No!"

Helga drummed her fingers on her desk. "Oh, right! Fuuhh"- she drew out the word -"nny?"

"YOU SAID FUCK! FUCK, OKAY?"

"Oh my goodness...Harold!" Mr. Simmons had a hand pressed to his chest, a look of utter terror on his face. "You know I don't permit that kind of language in my classroom! Detention!"

"Aw, man!" Harold glared at Helga. She just shrugged. He pointed at her maliciously. "Madame Fortress Mommy!"

Helga gave him an overdramatic pout. "I'm hurt, Harold. _Wounded_. Golly, how will I ever recover?"

Harold let out a frustrated sigh and turned back around. Helga turned back towards her book. After a minute, she looked back up at Arnold, who was staring at her in wonder.

"This book isn't gonna read itself, you know. Don't want to fall behind on your first day." When Arnold didn't move, she sighed and reached behind his head, gently pushing down until he was staring at the book.

"There ya go," she said casually. "Read on."

* * *

><p>The rest of Arnold's morning classes were dull in comparison to English. He couldn't seem get his mind off Helga. Talk about first impressions...which she obviously did not care about at all, given her attitude. She was kind of scary...but also kind of impressive. She had an amazing presence, that was for sure.<p>

Arnold walked over to his locker and put his books inside. Now, to find the cafeteria.

"Hey."

Arnold shut his locker door and looked at the guy standing next to him. He was taller than Arnold by, okay, a lot (why did he inherent Mom's height instead of Dad's?) but he had a friendly smile. Arnold smiled back.

"Hey."

"I'm Gerald. We're in the same English class."

"We are? Sorry, I didn't notice..."

Gerald laughed. "That's okay, dude. You were probably distracted by the one and only Helga G. Pataki."

Arnold felt his face grow hot. "Well..."

"Don't sweat it. She scares _everyone_. Most of us have just spent enough time around her to be used to it. If you think she's bad now, you should've seen her in grade school. Anyway, you goin' to lunch? You can sit with me and meet the guys."

"Okay. Sounds cool."

They walked towards the cafeteria together. Arnold saw Phoebe standing outside the cafeteria doors. She smiled when she saw Gerald.

"Hey sweets," Gerald said. He leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the lips. "Arnold, I believe you already know Phoebe."

Phoebe smiled at Arnold warmly. "Hello, Arnold."

"Hey."

Gerald wrapped an arm around Phoebe's shoulders. "Phoebe here is President of National Honors Society. She's the first Junior to ever be elected President."

Phoebe rolled her eyes, but a blush crept up her cheeks. "Gerald! I thought you stopped telling people ages ago."

"Well, now I had someone new to tell." Phoebe giggled. Gerald leaned in for another kiss.

Arnold cleared his throat and the two broke apart. "I kinda figured you were important. That was pretty impressive what you did back in class, the way you got everyone to pay attention by just knocking on the desk."

Phoebe beamed. "Thank you, Arnold! I actually learned that trick from my best friend."

"Speaking of..." Gerald trailed off and motioned behind Arnold. He turned around and saw Helga stomping towards them, flanked by two guys, one shorter than her, one taller. The shorter guy was yelling at her.

"Helga, I swear, when the zombie apocalypse comes and you turn into a zombie, I'm hunting you down first."

"Oh get a grip, Sid. It was just a frog. A dead frog."

"Exactly! You promised you'd try to get the pig to dissect! I'll never trust you again." They all stopped in front of the cafeteria doors and Sid pointed an accusing finger in Helga's face.

Helga batted his hand away angrily. "Fuck, what is with you losers and pointing in my face today? I told you, I _tried_ to get a pig. But Sheena got the last one. You should be thanking me - that unborn pig that barely fits on her dissecting tray. Ugh, I'll never eat a hot dog again."

Sid crossed his arms and turned away from her. "I'm _not_ speaking to you." Helga threw up her arms and threw the taller guy a look. The taller guy stepped forward and rested a hand on Sid's shoulder, rubbing it gently.

Nobody said anything. Finally, Sid turned around. "Alright, I forgive you Helga."

"Thank you _so _much for your mercy," Helga said sarcastically. She turned towards the taller guy. "And thank you too, Stinky. Seriously." The tall guy - Stinky - smiled.

"Alright, are you guys done with the Degrassi drama?" Gerald said impatiently. "I'm sure Arnold thinks we're all crazy."

Sid, Stinky, and Helga looked at Arnold like they hadn't even realized he was there. Sid and Stinky gave him apologetic smiles; Helga just crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. She opened her mouth to say something but Gerald grabbed Arnold's arm and drug him inside, cutting off any biting remarks Helga planned to say. Helga looked annoyed at first, but eventually followed them into the cafeteria with Phoebe, Stinky and Sid not far behind.

"So...do you like it here so far?" Gerald asked Arnold as they got their trays. "Or is it a total nightmare?"

Arnold followed Gerald in line, mimicking his actions to a T so he wouldn't look nearly as lost as he felt. "It's different, but I like it. I used to live in a hut in the middle of the jungle. There are a lot more girls here. Uh, I mean..." Arnold rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. Gerald smiled and gave him a knowing glance and Phoebe giggled. Helga gave him a disgusted look. Arnold looked down at his shoes sheepishly.

Sid saved him from his embarrassment. "A hut in the jungle? Boy Howdy, you must have been surrounded by all sorts of nifty frogs and stuff!"

Helga, Phoebe and Gerald groaned. Sid looked offended. "Hey, they're cool!"

Stinky leaned down and whispered in Arnold's ear. "You'll have to excuse Sid," he said in a slow drawl. "He _really _loves frogs."

Sid glared at Stinky and he straightened up immediately. "What did you say?"

"Just recommending the lemon pudding to Arnold here," Stinky said smoothly. He took a cup and put it on Arnold's tray.

"Crisis averted," Gerald whispered to him. "You're lucky - Stinky and Sid's lover's quarrels are what Degrassi dream scripts are made of."

"Oh," Arnold said, confused by all the information being thrown at him. He followed Gerald out of line towards the tables. "Uh, what's Degrassi-"

Arnold was cut off when he bumped into a rock wall of some sort. He fell backwards onto the floor. Dazed, Arnold looked up. He hadn't run into a rock wall, it was Harold. Arnold's food was smeared across the front of Harold's shirt.

"Uh," Arnold started. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you-"

Harold interrupted his apology with a frustrated cry. "Aaaaah! This was my favorite shirt!" He glared down at Arnold. "You're dead!" Harold grabbed the front of Arnold's shirt and lifted him up with one arm. He made a fist with his other hand and drew his arm back. Arnold closed his eyes and covered his arms over his face.

"Wait! Don't touch him!"

Arnold opened his eyes and peered through his arms. He dropped them in shock when he saw Helga standing in between him and Harold, her hand covering Harold's fist.

Harold glared at Helga; she held his glare. Reluctantly, he let go of Arnold's shirt.

"Why not?" Harold said angrily.

Now that the threat had subsided, Helga looked confused at her recent actions. She shook her head slightly and regained her composure.

"You _know_ why." Harold gave her a confused look. "Oh, wow. You really are a dipshit."

"Hey!"

Helga threw up her arms. "I'm _helping_ you. Aren't you like one fight away from being expelled?"

Realization dawned on Harold's face. "Oh yeah, that's right! Well, thanks Helga!" He gave her a genuine smile.

Helga looked down at her shoes, a small blush on her cheeks. When she looked back up, the blush was gone. "Yeah, well, you're welcome, you dip. But I don't think you're gonna get off as easily with your little princess." She pointed behind him.

Arnold followed her finger to a girl with short black hair. The girl's high heels clicked across the linoleum in a frantic rhythm as she stormed towards them.

Harold groaned. "Aw, man!"

"Harold!" she screamed. "You! Said! No! More! Fighting!" The girl accentuated each word with a slap across Harold's shoulders.

"Ow! Rhonda, stop! I didn't do anything!"

Rhonda stopped her assault. "I know. I _saw_. You owe Helga big time, Mister." Rhonda looked over at Helga and gave her a thankful look.

"I'm keeping a list," Helga teased. Rhonda smiled.

Helga turned around and looked at Arnold. "And you." Arnold straightened under her gaze. "Almost forgot. Are you okay?"

Arnold nodded slowly.

Rhonda looked at Arnold, then nudged Harold towards him. Harold sighed deeply. "Hey, look, I'm really sorry about beating you...well, almost beating you up. Old habits die hard, you know? No hard feelings?" He held out his hand.

Arnold looked down at Harold's hand, then back up to his face. He shook his hand and smiled. "No hard feelings."

Harold beamed. "Hey, you're pretty cool, uh...what's your name?"

"Arnold."

"You're pretty cool, Arnold. Isn't he, Rhonda?"

Rhonda was staring at him thoughtfully. "Yes. You're quite the..._gentleman_, Arnold." She looked Arnold up and down, sizing him up.

Gerald swung an arm around Arnold's shoulders. "So, do you still like it here or has the nightmare set in?"

* * *

><p>Arnold walked to his locker after the final bell, his mind preoccupied with the events of his first day. Despite almost getting beat up, Arnold though the day went really well. He already made some friends. In fact, Gerald and the guys were going to show Arnold around town on Saturday. He smiled to himself.<p>

Arnold walked past Rhonda, who was leaning against her locker talking to the pretty redhead from his English class. He gave Rhonda a small smile and she smiled back. She leaned towards the redhead and whispered in her ear. The redhead turned around to look at him curiously.

As Arnold opened his locker, he noticed a blur of pink rush past him. He quickly grabbed his books and slammed his locker door shut. "Hey, Helga!"

She stopped and turned around. She was holding a few books loosely under one arm. "What do _you _want, football head?"

Arnold tilted his head, confused. "_What_? My head doesn't look like a football. Footballs are round. My head's more...oblong." He shifted his books from one arm to the other.

"Since when are footballs _round_? Where are you from...oh, wait. You _are _from South America. Forgot football was soccer down there...anyway, that fell flat. What do you want?"

Arnold took a step towards her. "I didn't get a chance to thank you for what you did in the cafeteria. So, umm...thank you."

Helga waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah, whatever. Don't let it go to your oblong head."

"I wasn't! Just...thanks. Really. It was nice of you."

Helga stared at him. She sighed. "Okay, okay, you're welcome." She turned back around and started to walk away. After a few steps, she stopped and faced him.

"Um...thank you, too. For what you said earlier. About my dress." She stared at him determinedly, her books pressed tight against her chest.

Arnold smiled warmly. "You're welcome."

She gave him a small smile, before shaking her head and giving him a sly smirk. "See you tomorrow."

Arnold watched her leave. She sidestepped a couple kissing in the middle of the hallway, then stiff-armed a boy that was stumbling towards her.

"Hello, Arnold?"

Arnold turned around. The pretty redhead was standing behind him. She had her hands clasped behind her back and was looking up at him shyly. His heart thudded in his chest.

"I'm Lila."

"Hi," Arnold said dreamily.


	2. Summer

**Author's Note:** _Back again. And now, the summer of Arnold and Lila. (And Helga.)  
><em>

* * *

><p>"So wait, how long have you two been dating?"<p>

Arnold sighed, and kicked at a stone on the sidewalk. It bounced off into the street. "I dunno."

Gerald stared at him incredulously. "You don't know how long you've been dating?"

"I don't! She says we've only been going steady for the last two weeks."

"But you guys were stuck together since, like, April. What was that?"

Arnold ran his hands down his face. "I don't _know_!"

Gerald patted Arnold on the shoulder. "Sorry. Okay, forget that. In my eyes, you two have been dating since late April. Maybe early May. So it's been about two months...and you still haven't kissed?"

Arnold stopped walking and buried his face in his hands. "Just kill me."

Gerald rubbed his chin. "This isn't as bad as it looks."

Arnold peered at Gerald through his fingers. "It isn't?"

"Nope." They started walking again. "Lila's a sweet girl. Hell, she held _pinkies _with her last boyfriend. Pinkies! So she's not the kind of girl to jump right into a makeout session. So what? You really like her. That's all that matters."

"But I _want _to kiss her. She's so sweet...and kind...and beautiful..."

"Yeah, yeah. I _know_. Well, have you tried kissing her?"

"Well..." They stopped in front of Arnold's house and sat down on the stoop.

"Well?" Gerald prompted.

"Not really..."

"Then how do you know that she doesn't want to kiss you if you haven't tried?"

"Because! Because sometimes I'm thinking about it, and then right when I decide to do it, she says something like 'Oh Arnold, I like you ever so much, you're such a gentleman' and then I feel bad and just hold her hand."

Gerald shook his head. "Mmm mmm _mmm_."

Arnold buried his face in his lap. "I _know_." After a minute, he lifted his head up. "But tonight will be different. It's our two month anniversary-"

"So we're going with that date, then?"

"Gerald."

"Sorry."

"It's our anniversary. And I'm going to kiss Lila tonight. It's going to happen." He balled his hands into fists and stared at the pavement with raw determination.

"Oookay. Well, good luck, man."

* * *

><p>The date went well, in Arnold's opinion. There was a lot of laughing. There was even more hand holding.<p>

"So," he said, as he walked Lila up her stoop at the end of the night.

"Yes, Arnold?" She smiled sweetly. His stomach did flip flops.

"It's our anniversary tonight."

"Is it?"

"Yeah." She was looking up at him, a warm smile on her face. He leaned in - then chickened out. He couldn't do it. "Uh, yeah. I...I just thought I'd point that out. Um, well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow-"

Lila cut him off and kissed him. He stared at her in shock. Her eyes were screwed shut. Arnold slowly closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss, his hands resting lightly on her shoulders.

Lila pulled away and started crying. "Oh, Arnold!" Lila said, hiccuping. "I'm ever so sorry!"

Arnold stood there, dumbfounded at the rapid change in emotions. He shook himself out of his stupor. "No, don't apologize. I'm glad you kissed me. I've wanted to do that for months now." He rubbed his thumbs across her shoulders.

Lila began to cry harder. Arnold pulled her into a hug and began to rub her back soothingly. Her sobs slowly began to die down. Arnold pulled away and smoothed some of her hair behind her ear.

"Better?" he whispered softly.

Lila nodded. She looked up into his eyes. "Arnold...I'm afraid I haven't been totally honest with you."

Arnold tilted his head quizzically. Lila took a deep breath.

"Arnold...I'm still in love with Tom."

Arnold let go of her. "Oh. Um, wait. Who's Tom?"

Lila sniffled. "My ex-boyfriend. He moved to Montana about a month before you moved here. I was ever so sad when he left Arnold, just ever so sad. When you moved here, Rhonda encouraged me to go out with you because she said you were a total gentleman and I'd love you. And I do like you Arnold, ever so much. But I just don't like-you-like-you." She let out a choking sob. "You must think I'm ever so mean..."

"No, Lila. I mean, I'm surprised, but..." he reached out and cupped her face. "I don't think I could ever hate you."

Lila placed her hand over his. "Thank you ever so much, Arnold."

Arnold slowly drew his hand away. "So I guess this is it, huh?"

Lila nodded sadly. He took a step back.

"Goodbye, Lila."

"Goodbye, Arnold."

Arnold watched as she went inside. He sighed.

He needed to take a walk.

* * *

><p>Arnold wound up in the park, sitting on the bench that he and Lila used to sit on. She said it was perfect for duck watching. They used to sit there for hours, just holding hands. It all seemed so perfect.<p>

Arnold slumped back into the seat. Guess it wasn't.

"If it takes forever, I will wait for you..."

Arnold whipped around and saw Helga leaning over the back of the bench. She turned towards him and smiled. "Do you know that song, Mr. Non-Football Head?"

Arnold turned away. "I'm not in the mood, Helga."

"For what, singing?"

"For anything." He stood up abruptly. "See you around," he said curtly, as he started to walk home.

But Helga followed him. "This wouldn't have anything to do with Miss Lila, would it?"

Arnold stopped and glared at her. "No."

"Really?" She tapped her cheek. "Well, then. That must've been someone else I overhead getting dumped."

Arnold narrowed his eyes. "Were you following us?"

Helga scoffed. "You wish. I was walking home from the movies. But enough about me, we were talking about you. And how Lila dumped you flat."

"Helga."

"How she hung you out to dry..."

"Helga..." he started to walk away faster, but she easily kept up.

"How she gave you the speech; said it wasn't _you_, it was _her_."

Arnold stopped. "Okay! She dumped me! She said she didn't 'like-me-like me' and told me she still loved Tom, who I don't even _know_. What could I say? 'Forget Tom, stay with me?' I couldn't do that to her." He sighed. "I just...couldn't."

Helga frowned. "I'm sorry."

Arnold sighed again, forcing himself to give her a small smile. "It's not your fault."

"Yeah, well, I shouldn't have razzed you. Sometimes I just can't help myself, you know?"

"I noticed," Arnold said wryly. Helga rolled her eyes, but smiled. They continued walking.

Helga cleared her throat. "Are you gonna be okay, Arnold?"

He took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'll be okay. She was just my first girlfriend, you know? And she was so sweet...and nice...and beautiful..."

"Get to the point."

"I really liked her."

"I know."

"I even...I thought I loved her," he whispered. They stopped again. "Is that stupid?"

Helga searched his eyes before turning away abruptly. "Of course it's stupid. I mean, how long did you know her?"

Arnold sighed dejectedly. "You're right." He started walking again. Helga reached out and grabbed his hand, stopping him. Arnold turned around, confused. She was looking off into the distance. She looked like she was gathering the courage to say something.

She turned towards him. "It's not stupid. I...I thought I loved someone once."

"You did?"

"Don't interrupt me. Yes, I did. I was just a kid. We accidentally got left behind on this field trip to the Chocolate Factory. It's actually a really annoying and stupid story. On our way back, he kept getting us into trouble and I'd have to jump in and save his stupid ass. I was a fucking terror that day. But he didn't get frustrated with me, not once. And then, after I rescued him after one particularly dumb incident, he hugged me and told me he loved me. It sounds so idiotic now. I can see that I loved him just because he said he loved me." Helga's eyes softened. "But at that time in my life...I really needed someone to love."

"Why?"

Helga smirked. "That's a story for another day." She walked ahead of him. Arnold followed her.

"Can you at least tell me who it was?"

"You're so nosy." But then she smiled slyly. "Harold."

Arnold stared at her, shocked. "That's why you stopped him from beating me up!"

"Wrong. I mean, I do have a soft spot for the big lug, even though I don't love him anymore. Nope, Arnold-o, I stopped him to save you and your little, well, _large_ oblong head." She flicked his ear.

"Ouch! Quit it!"

Helga laughed. "C'mon. I'll walk you home."

They spent the rest of the walk talking about the movie Helga saw, _Umbrellas of Cherbourg._ She said it would be the perfect film for his broken heart. Arnold promised he'd rent it.

Arnold walked up his stoop, fishing his keys out of his pocket. "Well, see you around Helga."

"Yeah, yeah."

Arnold unlocked the door.

"Hey Arnold, wait."

He turned around. Helga was looking at the ground, rubbing her arm nervously. "Try not to be too hung up on Lila, okay?" She looked up. "There are plenty of other fish in the sea."

Arnold smiled. "Thanks, Helga."

Helga smiled back.


	3. Fall

"Alright, class dismissed! Be sure to read chapters seven through eleven this weekend!"

Arnold put his backpack on his desk and started cramming his books inside. He watched his classmates leave: Harold with his arm slung around Rhonda's shoulders, Sid cooing at a frog in a portable fish tank, Helga throwing her head back and laughing at something Phoebe said. Arnold smiled. He liked that his Junior year English class was almost the same setup as last year, complete with the same teacher, Mr. Simmons. It was familiar, and that familiarity was nice. There was only one person missing. She had the morning English class instead. Arnold sighed deeply.

Gerald nudged him against his shoulder. "Mope later, loverboy. I wanna go home!"

Arnold narrowed his eyes and slipped his arms through the straps of his backpack. "Who said I was moping?"

"Your face. You had "The Look". You know..." Gerald pouted dramatically, clutching both hands to his chest. "_This _look."

"Gerald, that is not even close to how "The Look" looks. Wait...there isn't even a Look!" Arnold walked towards the door. Gerald followed him.

"There is _too_ a Look. There's been a Look ever since Lila dumped you."

Arnold stopped walking and hung his head. "I'm pathetic."

"Maybe." Arnold looked up and glared. Gerald held his hands in front of him defensively. "I said 'maybe'!" Arnold groaned in frustration.

They were halfway out the door when Mr. Simmons called out. "Arnold, would you mind if I talked to you in private for a few minutes?"

"Umm...sure."

Gerald gave Mr. Simmons a curious stare before waving to Arnold. "I'll be waiting by your locker, buddy."

After Gerald left, Mr. Simmons stood up and closed the classroom door. Arnold gripped the straps of his backpack nervously. Was he in trouble?

Mr. Simmons turned around to face him with a determined look. Arnold noticed dark circles under his eyes.

"You know Arnold, you enunciate very clearly whenever you read aloud in class."

Arnold loosened his grip on his backpack straps. "Uh...thanks?"

Mr. Simmons smiled broadly, then sat back behind his desk, motioning for Arnold to take a seat in one of the desks facing him. Arnold sat down slowly, backpack still on his shoulders.

"So Arnold, tell me: can you sing?"

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you agreed to this, man."<p>

"He begged me! He looked so tired...well, I just couldn't say no."

Gerald looked over at Arnold and grinned. "You're way too nice, my man."

"Yeah, I guess...cat!" Arnold pointed ahead of him.

Gerald turned his eyes back to the road and slammed on the brakes, stopping a foot away from a brown cat. It hissed at Gerald's car then ran into an alley.

Gerald let out a relieved sigh before continuing to drive. "That was close. I'm pretty sure that was Cupcake too - I would be screwed if I killed Harold's cat."

Arnold nodded. He gripped the sides of his seat tightly. Maybe he should've just walked to school...

But the rest of the ride was uneventful. Gerald pulled in front of the auditorium. "Well, here you are. All ready to go to school...on a Saturday."

"Yep."

"Are you sure you wanna do this? All I have to do is shift this baby back into drive and we can hide out downtown."

Arnold looked tempted. But he shook his head. "I can't, Gerald. Mr. Simmons is counting on me. And, well...you know the other reason."

Gerald sighed. "You're a bold kid, Arnold." He leaned forward and pinched his cheek. "Have a good day at practice, honey!"

Arnold batted his hand away and rolled his eyes.

* * *

><p>"Okay everyone, I want you to meet our new Eugene: Arnold!"<p>

The cast and crew looked up at Arnold as he walked onto the stage. He waved nervously.

"Now I know this is quite a big change up so I'm depending on all of you to help Arnold out so he can shine as our new Eugene!"

Mr. Simmons guided Arnold closer to the cast. He motioned towards a dark haired boy with glasses. "Okay, Arnold, this is Thaddeus. He'll be playing your arch-nemesis, Lawrence." Arnold nodded at him; Thaddeus smiled.

"You already know Lila. She'll be playing your love interest, Betty."

Arnold shyly glanced towards Lila. He hadn't really spoken to her since their breakup a few months ago. She smiled at him politely. Arnold grinned broadly. This was it. This was his chance to prove to Lila how much he still cared about her. He wasn't going to give up on her yet...

Someone behind Lila scoffed. He peered behind Lila and locked eyes with Helga.

"And of course you know Helga. She's our set painter."

"And general wit," Thaddeus added dryly.

Helga didn't look away from Arnold. He was starting to feel a little uncomfortable, but he held her stare.

She quickly glanced between him and Lila and smirked, crossing her arms across her chest. "And I'm quite observant to boot," she added. Arnold's face turned red.

The moment was broken when a redhead boy in a wheelchair rolled up to Arnold. Both of his legs were in casts. He stopped right in front of Arnold and searched his face thoroughly, his lips pursed. Arnold looked around nervously, but everyone was watching the redhead boy intently. Except Helga. She was still looking at Arnold.

"Don't panic," she mouthed. Arnold instantly relaxed.

Suddenly, the redhead boy's face broke out into a huge grin. He reached forward and took Arnold's hand.

"Mr. Simmons, you found an _excellent_ replacement! Arnold, you're going to be great as Eugene. There's something in your eyes, this..._shining optimism_. It's perfect!" He patted Arnold's hand happily, while the rest of the cast murmured excitedly. "Now c'mon, let me introduce you to the rest of the cast!"

Arnold cleared his throat, embarrassed by all the praise. "I didn't catch your name?"

"Oh! I'm Eugene."

"...Really?"

"Yep! This is my favorite musical, and I was really looking forward to playing my namesake. But..." he motioned sadly towards his legs. He shook his head and smiled again. "It's okay though! Mr. Simmons said I could help direct since I know the musical so well. And like I said, I can tell that you're going to be great, Arnold. Now, this is Sheena, and she'll be playing your Aunt..."

The next few hours passed by in a blur. It was a bit hard diving into a production that was already well underway but the cast was very forgiving.

Finally, they were done for the day. The cast all offered words of encouragement towards Arnold before leaving. Lila even patted Arnold on the shoulder supportively before pushing Eugene towards the exit. Arnold stood alone on the stage and stared after her, smiling goofily, one hand touching the spot she just touched.

"You're a real sap, Arnold."

He turned around. Helga was standing behind him, a paintbrush held loosely in one hand. White paint was slowly dripping onto the stage.

"You're getting paint on the stage."

Helga looked down. "Fucking shit! She cupped a hand under the paintbrush and ran backstage. Arnold followed her.

Helga dropped the paintbrush back into the bucket. She turned around and looked surprised to see Arnold standing there. "What?"

He motioned towards one of the backdrops, a cardboard cutout of a house. "Do you need any help?"

Helga shrugged. "Sure." She bent down a picked up a dry paintbrush from a pile on the floor, holding it out to him. Arnold walked towards her and took it. Helga leaned down and picked up the paintbrush in the bucket, wiping the excess paint on the sides. She sat down crossed legged in front of the cardboard house. Arnold dipped his paintbrush in the paint can and sat down next to her.

They painted together in silence.

Helga broke the silence first. "You're a real sap, Arnold."

Arnold didn't look at her. "You already said that."

"It's worth repeating. You can't fool me, Captain Obvious. You're in this to win your girl back."

Despite the truth of her statement, Arnold blushed, embarrassed. "So what?" he mumbled. "Maybe I'm a romantic."

Helga stopped painting and looked at him. Arnold eventually stopped as well and met her gaze. She leaned towards him, searching his eyes. Arnold drew back instinctively.

"What?" he said nervously.

"There's something in you," she said softly. She leaned closer. "Something in your eyes...that says you're a total fucking sap!" She stuck out her tongue.

Arnold narrowed his eyes...then brushed a swatch of paint on Helga's forearm.

"Hey!" She wiped her arm off on his jeans.

"_Hey_! Helga, c'mon!"

"You started it."

"No, _you _did."

"You."

"You!"

They glared at each other...then burst out laughing. They both resumed their work.

"Hey, Arnold?"

"Yeah?"

"I...umm...I hope you get Lil - I mean, I hope you get what _you _want. Because...you're okay. I mean, I think you're okay, so she should - I mean, you're just okay. Okay?"

Arnold looked at her. Helga was staring determinedly at the cardboard house, painting. He put his hand over her free one. She stopped painting and looked at him.

Arnold smiled. "Thanks, Helga. You're okay too."

She gave him a small smile and shook his hand off hers. "Okay, back to work."

* * *

><p>"Okay, cut!" Great job, Arnold, Lila." Lila grabbed the edges of her dress and gave a small curtsy and Arnold tilted his hat towards Eugene. It was the day before the premiere and they were in dress rehearsal. "Thaddeus, can I ask you a favor?"<p>

Thaddeus tapped his cane on the stage floor nervously. "What? It's my laugh, isn't it? It's too maniacal, right?"

Eugene let go of one of his crutches, holding it in place under his arm as he scratched his chin. "Actually, Tad, I was going to say it wasn't maniacal _enough_."

Thaddeus dropped his cane in shock. "_Really_?" Eugene nodded. Thaddeus ran over and scooped up Eugene in a huge hug. His crutches clattered to the floor. "You have no idea how happy you've made me!"

"That's great, Tad, but umm...can you put me down?"

"Uh, sure. Sorry. Lila, Arnold could you help me-?" Lila and Arnold both rushed up and grabbed Eugene's crutches, placing one under each arm. "Thanks." Thaddeus gently lowered Eugene back on his crutches. "Sorry about that, Eugene. But it's just...no one ever told me I needed to be _more_ maniacal. It was just...validation!" Thaddeus raised a fist in the air.

Lila congratulated Thaddeus while Arnold smiled and glanced out towards the auditorium. He was surprised to see no one there.

"Okay, let's try that scene again. Arnold?" Arnold looked back towards the stage. Eugene and Lila were looking at him expectantly, while Thaddeus was staring at him thoughtfully.

"Yeah...sorry."

After their last rehearsal (and a rousing motivational speech from Eugene) Arnold loitered on the stage while the rest of the cast and crew went backstage to change. He sat down at the end of the stage, his feet dangling in the orchestra pit. He stared out at the empty seats.

Where was Helga?

Even though she had finished building the sets weeks ago, Helga always hung around during rehearsal. When he asked her why, she told him she was Thaddeus's ride. He gotten used to her presence in the front row. They'd always share looks over Eugene's directing tips, like "Flutter like a butterfly, Lila!" or "Sing like you're surrounded by unicorns!" Sometime she'd even mouth his lines to him when he forgot.

Suddenly, someone plopped down beside him. He looked up, smiling. It was only Thaddeus. His smile faltered a little. Maybe he knew where Helga was...

Arnold decided to ease into asking. "Hey Thaddeus. Nervous about tomorrow?"

Thaddeus however, cut straight to the chase. "Looking for Helga?"

Arnold blushed. "Err, yeah, actually. She was just here earlier...I guess I didn't see her leave."

Thaddeus cleared his throat awkwardly. "She had to go somewhere."

Arnold looked at him curiously. "Something important?"

He nodded. Arnold waited for him to offer up more information, but Thaddeus just looked down into the orchestra pit, kicking his legs back and forth.

Arnold sighed, fed up. "Do I have to guess?"

Thaddeus shook his head, his eyes still glued to the floor. "I'm gonna tell you, it's just..."

Arnold rested his hand on Thaddeus's shoulder. "You don't have to tell me."

Thaddeus smiled gratefully, then stood up. "No, it's alright. I think she wanted me to tell you. I don't think she could do it herself." He handed Arnold a folded piece of paper.

"See you tomorrow night, Arnold." He walked backstage.

Arnold opened up the piece of paper. There was an address was written on it. He stood up.

Time to find Helga.

* * *

><p>He found her immediately, despite the size of the location. She was near the entrance, sitting crossed legged next to an old oak tree.<p>

The headstone in front of her read: Robert Pataki, Beloved Husband and Father.

"You gonna lurk back there all day, Arnold?"

He stiffened. He should've known that she'd know he was there. It was like she had an Arnold-sense or something. She didn't turn around, just patted the ground next to her. An invitation.

Arnold walked up and sat down beside her. "Tad told me you were here."

She smiled. "Good boy."

Arnold picked up a handful of orange leaves and scattered them on the ground. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's kind of hard to work in 'My Dad's dead' into casual conversation, you know." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose. "Besides I'm telling you right now. This is me. Telling you."

"How did he-?"

"Heart attack. He literally worked himself to death, seven years ago today." She paused and opened her eyes. "The bastard."

Arnold had no clue what to say to that.

Helga smiled and closed her eyes again. "You know, when I was a kid, I hated him. Always buried in his beeper business. Jesus, how 90's.

"Most of the kids around town hated him too. He cut down this old tree, Mighty Pete, in order to build another beeper store. God, what a fucking blowhard he was."

Arnold fidgeted nervously, trying to think of something to say.

"Stop that squirming."

He stopped immediately. "Sorry." He took a deep breath. "Look, Helga-"

She cut him off. "I'll never forget the last thing he said to me. It was minutes before he died. I thought he was going to give me some epic speech about all my shortcomings and how I had to work to make him proud after his death.

"But he just patted me on the head and said: 'You're a good kid, Helga.' And then he was gone."

Helga stood up and dusted off her legs. She looked down at Arnold. "You know, sometimes I think I love him more now that he's gone." She chuckled. "How fucked is that?"

Arnold stood up and stared at her, before wrapping her arms around her. She stiffened for a minute before relaxing into the hug.

"That fucked, huh?" She said jokingly.

Arnold slowly let her go and smiled. "Not fucked at all."

Helga gasped over-dramatically. "Why, Arnold! I do believe you just said the f-word!"

Arnold smirked. "What, 'fudgy bar'?"

Helga laughed. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow." She started to walk away. Arnold grabbed her wrist. She stopped and turned around. "What?"

"I...umm...are you gonna be okay?"

"Uh, _yeah_. Why wouldn't I be?" She smirked. "And you! You better get your beauty sleep, mister. Tomorrow's the night you get your girl back!" She walked off, singing, "If it takes forever, I will wait for you..."

Arnold watched her go. Once she was out of sight, he turned back towards Robert Pataki's headstone.

"You would be proud," he said softly.

* * *

><p>Eugene was in tears.<p>

The cast and crew were crammed into the dressing room. Sheena was patting Arnold's face with powder with one hand; in the other she held a tissue box in front of Eugene.

Eugene grabbed another tissue and dabbed at his eyes. "Oh, I'm so proud of you all!"

"Eugene..." Thaddeus said slowly. "The show hasn't even started yet."

"Yeah," Helga said. She was sitting backwards in a chair, tipping it forward. "Give it a chance to fail, Eugene."

Instead of getting mad at what Helga said, Eugene started sobbing openly. He snatched the tissue box away from Sheena. "Oh, Helga! Where would we have been without your scathing cynicism?"

Helga groaned.

"Arnold?" He turned around and saw Lila leaning close to him.

"Yeah?"

"Good luck out there."

Arnold smiled. "Actually, Lila, I think you're supposed to say 'Break a leg'."

She giggled demurely. "I know. But given what happened to Eugene...I thought 'Good Luck' might be more appropriate."

"You're right." They shared a smile before Lila turned away. Arnold looked up. Helga was staring at him. He smiled at her. She didn't smile back. Arnold tilted his head, confused.

"You okay?" he mouthed.

For a split second, a desperately sad look crossed her face. Helga shook her head and frowned. Then she stood up abruptly and walked out.

Now Arnold was _really _confused. He was just about to follow her when Mr. Simmons walked in and told them it was time to take their places.

* * *

><p>Eugene had every reason to be proud: the show went off without a hitch. The crying in the dressing room before the show was <em>nothing<em> compared to the tears now - Eugene was practically wailing. Wailing with joy, of course. The dressing room was packed again, filled with the cast and crew _and _family and friends.

Arnold smiled and chatted with everyone who praised him, but really, he just wanted to find Helga. He hadn't seen her since she stormed out of the dressing room before the show started. He had to know that she was okay. He told his parents that he was going out to get fresh air. He almost made it to the door before Lila stopped him.

"Oh, excuse me Lila-"

She cut him off with a hug. "Oh, Arnold, you were ever so brilliant!"

Arnold awkwardly hugged her back. "Uh, thanks. You were great too, Lila."

Lila pulled away and looked up at him shyly. It reminded him of the first time he talked to her.

"Are you going to Rhonda's house tonight? She's throwing a little after-party. I'm sure it will be ever so much fun..."

"Maybe. Actually, I'm looking for Helga right now. Have you seen her?"

Lila looked surprised. But then she smiled knowingly. "I'm ever so sorry Arnold, but I haven't seen her. When you find her you can bring her to Rhonda's party, okay?"

"Yeah, I will," he mumbled distractedly. "Look, I'm gonna go look for her outside. I'll see you later, Lila."

She smiled brightly. "Goodbye, Arnold." She leaned forward and gave him another hug. "You deserve to be happy."

Arnold patted her back, confused. "Okay?"

And as he walked out into the hallway, he head Lila call after him: "And good luck!"

* * *

><p>Arnold found Helga sitting outside on the steps leading up to the auditorium. He paused. Now that he'd found her, he wasn't quite sure what to do.<p>

"I know you're there. My Arnold sense is tingling."

Arnold smiled and sat down beside her on the steps. "Hey."

"Hey." She drew her knees up to her chest.

"You kinda...disappeared."

"Yeah." She didn't offer any more explanation. They sat in silence.

"So...the show went well."

"Did it?" She was examining her fingernails.

Arnold glared at her, irritated by her nonchalance. "Yeah, it did. You would've known if you would have watched it. I didn't forget one line-"

"So are you and Lila together now or what?"

Arnold stared at her, confused. "What?"

Helga sighed, exasperated. "Wasn't that the whole reason you did this stupid musical? To woo Lila back?"

"Oh. Well...no, we're not together. Actually," he laughed, "I kinda blew her off just now. I suppose it's for the best. You were right, I shouldn't be so hung up on her. Plenty of fish in the sea-"

Helga cut him off and kissed him. Arnold wondered if that was just how American girls did things before it registered that Helga was _kissing_ him. Kissing! _Him_!

Before he could even think of a proper response (his hands hovered nervously above her hands), Helga pulled away. She looked at him, terrified. "Oh, fuck. _Fuck_. Fuck!"

"What?" Arnold said dumbly.

Helga stood up and started pacing up and down the steps. "Oh, shit. What the fuck was I thinking? I wasn't supposed to kiss you. You were never supposed to know! You were supposed to fall back into Lila's arms and bury your face in her boobs and I would give you a thumbs up and that would be it. But I've fucked it up. I'VE FUCKED IT UP!" Helga slapped her hands to her face in horror. "Now Lila will NEVER let you bury your face in her boobs!"

Arnold just stared at her, confused beyond all reason. "Why are you talking about Lila's boobs?"

Helga stopped pacing. She pointed at Arnold accusingly. "You! You _FUCK_! You made me do this! With your PERFECT green eyes and your PERFECT compassion and your PERFECT friendship! You made me spill about Harold! And my Dad! I've never told ANYONE those things! And _you_ made me kiss you! YOU made me fall in love with you!"

Helga slapped her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide.

Arnold's eyes were just as wide. He slowly stood up. "You...you _love _me?"

Helga dropped her hands from her mouth. "I...I gotta go."

And then she ran off.

Arnold just stood there.

* * *

><p>"So where did you disappear to last night, Shortman?"<p>

Arnold dropped his fork nervously. It bounced off his pancakes and onto the floor. He bent down to pick it up. "Nowhere, Grandpa. Just outside. To get some air."

"Oh, I see." Grandpa cut into his own pancakes. He looked across the table at Dad; they shared a look. "So, is 'getting some air' some sort of hipster slang for 'kissing a girl'?"

Arnold turned bright red. "GRANDPA!" His eyes narrowed. "You followed me!"

Grandpa laughed. "Not really. I was on my way to get the car and well...I saw what I saw."

Dad ruffled Arnold's hair affectionately. "My boy's growing up."

Arnold slumped back into his chair. "Daaad," he whined, embarrassed.

"What? I'm proud!"

Arnold groaned. "I don't know what to do," he said.

Grandpa and Dad looked confused. "What do you mean?" Dad asked.

"Helga kissed me! And then she told me she loved me! And then she talked about Lila's boobs! And then she ran off! And I don't know what to do about any of if it!"

Grandpa scratched his head. "Is talking about a girl's boobs more hipster slang talk?"

Arnold sighed. "No, Grandpa." He ran his hands down his face. "I'm sorry for blowing up, it's just...she's just..."

Grandpa and Dad leaned forward expectantly.

Arnold looked at them both. "How...how did you know when you found The Girl?"

They looked surprised by his question.

"Well-" Dad started, but Grandpa cut him off.

"Miles, let me handle this."

Dad gave Grandpa a thoughtful look, then motioned for him to go ahead.

"Well Arnold, get comfortable, this is a long one. Get your snack cravings and bathroom breaks out now."

"Go ahead, Grandpa. I'm ready."

"Well, if you're sure. So you wanna know if you've found The Girl, eh? You know, when I met your Grandma, I was even younger than you are right now. She was a terror back in grade school, always calling me names and playing pranks on me. She'd always pick on me in particular but I never really gave her the time of day.

"And then we grew up. And she hung around. She still teased me, of course, but we became friends somehow. And then one day, I realized I was in love with her."

Arnold waited for Grandpa to continue, but he didn't. "That's it?" he said incredulously.

"Yep. You see, Shortman, finding The Girl isn't some huge epic quest with a lovely princess waiting with open arms at the end. It just happens. It's life. You just stumble through and then you find the girl that means the most to you. Sometimes it's expected, sometimes it's not, sometimes you're friends, sometimes you're not, sometimes you meet her in grade school or in the middle of the jungle or when you move to America. And sometimes you find the girl when you're 'getting some air' or talking about ladies breasts."

Arnold heard a sniff from beside him and turned to see his Dad crying. He wiped his eyes. "That was beautiful, Dad."

Grandpa patted him on the shoulder. "You always were such a loveable sap, son."

* * *

><p>Arnold steeled himself. He could do this.<p>

He rang the doorbell.

A middle aged woman with glasses answered. "Yes?"

"Hi. Is...is Helga home?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, she's not here right now."

Arnold frowned. "Do you know when she'll be back?"

"I'm not sure." She adjusted her glasses and peered down at the boy. "Wait - are you...are you Arnold?"

Arnold felt his face heat up. "Uh...yeah."

He heard another pair of footsteps rush towards the door. A younger woman appeared behind the woman with glasses. "Oooooh! So _you're_ Arnold!" Both women looked at each other and smiled excitedly.

Arnold took a step back, embarrassed. "Well, if Helga's not here, I guess I'll be going-"

"Wait, Arnold!" The younger woman grabbed his wrist. "Baby sister said she was going to the park. I'm sure you'll find her there."

"Thanks...uh..."

"Olga. I'm Helga's big sister." She gently pushed Arnold down the steps. "Now, go!" Both women waved at him happily as he headed towards the park.

* * *

><p>Helga was sitting in the same bench where he sulked after Lila broke up with him. He walked up and sat down next to her; she didn't say anything.<p>

"What, is your Arnold-sense broken?" he teased.

She looked down at her feet. "What do you want?"

Arnold ran a hand through his hair. Might as well get to it. "Look, Helga, I wanted to talk about last night-"

"About that. Look Arnold, I'm sorry. I didn't meant to say all that mushy stuff. I was confused. I mean, it was the heat of the moment. I mean..." she sighed, frustrated. "Can we just forget about it...please?" She looked at him pleadingly.

Arnold stared at her. He nodded slowly. "We could..."

Helga let out a relieved sigh. "Thanks -"

Arnold grabbed her hands. "But it wouldn't change anything."

Helga looked at their linked hands, then back up at his face. "Huh?"

"It wouldn't change anything, because deep down, you'd still be the sap who said all those mushy things..."

"_Hey_."

He squeezed her hands. "...And I'd still be the guy who loves you for it." He paused thoughtfully. "Except I could care less about Lila's boobs."

Helga stared at him, shocked. "You...what?"

Arnold leaned in and kissed her. She froze for a second, but then pulled her hands out of his, grabbed his face, and kissed him back.

He pulled away and rested his forehead against hers.

"You're the one who's the giant fucking sap," Helga whispered. She rubbed her thumbs gently across his cheekbones.

He smiled. "It kinda runs in the family. Besides, you know you love it."

She bit her lip. "Don't tell."

"I won't," he whispered as he kissed her again.


	4. Winter

_AN: And here we are at the conclusion. Thanks so much for reading, and a special thank to everyone who reviewed/favorited/tracked updates on this story! xoxoxo_

* * *

><p>Arnold woke up when he heard his Dad fall down the stairs. Again.<p>

"Aaaah! GOD DAMN THESE STAIRS!"

"Oh, Mr. Shortman, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Olga. See, Dad? It isn't hard to show a little compassion..."

"Yeah, well, don't baby him too much, Olga. Miles has an ass of steel." Arnold heard Olga giggle.

"What the - shut _up_, Dad!"

Grandpa laughed. "Merry Christmas, son!"

Arnold smiled and stretched his arms above his head, his eyes still closed. He heard his bedroom door open and shut quietly. Someone sat down on the edge of his bed. He opened his eyes. Helga was smiling down at him.

"Hey, lover," she said softly.

Arnold sat up, his blankets pooling around his hips.

"Ooo, Arnold..._shirtless_? Merry Christmas, me." She leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on the lips. She pulled away and he leaned in, kissing her again. She kissed him back, running her hands up his chest.

She slowly pushed him away. "Okay, enough. No fucking on Christmas...morning, at least."

"Such a dirty mouth. You're getting a lump of coal."

"B-B-But," she said, pouting dramatically. She pulled him back towards her and hugged him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Cussing is just part of who I am!"

Arnold rested his chin on her shoulder. "Alright, I forgive you. No more lump of coal. You can have your real present."

"If it's not in your pants I'm not interested."

He laughed and bit her lightly on her shoulder. She pinched his side in return.

Helga disentangled herself from his arms and pulled him out of bed. "Alright, you've felt me up. Now come downstairs. My mom's making her signature eggnog. It'll knock your fucking socks off. She looked down at his bare feet. "So be sure to put some socks on before you drink it." She walked towards the door.

"Hey, Helga?"

She turned around, her hand on the doorknob. "Yep?"

He smiled. "Love you."

She smiled back. "Love you, too." She walked out, shutting the door behind her. He heard her start humming the theme from _Umbrellas of Cherbourg_, the sound fading away as she got further away from his room.

Arnold flopped back down onto his bed, staring at the blue sky through his skylight. The _Cherbourg _melody was stuck in his head now. He sang softly, "the clock will tick away the hours one by one, and then the time will come when all the waiting's done..."

He smiled to himself. "I really _am_ a sap."

**The End**


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